Weight Loss Update: Over 50 Pounds Gone!

Okay, after some prodding (I'm looking at you Andrew Gibbons) I have decided to post to my blog today. The staff at the Great

Body Company Wellness Center have asked me to do an article to go on their website (it's already their featured

"success story" on their bulletin board at the gym), so I have reposted it here:

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In every person's life there are life changing moments. These are events, perhaps imperceivable to those around them that completely alter a person's life course for the better, or for ruin. These are moments that must be met head on, with no choice of sitting still and remaining indecisive because that fork in the road is staring you in the face, refusing to go unnoticed. In April of 2010 I had one of those moments. At 5 foot 7 inches tall, my weight had skyrocketed to 230 pounds, my waist had ballooned up to close to 40 inches, and I woke up one morning almost unable to walk because of a sudden attack of gout in my big toe. Not good. Flashing through my mind were memories of my father at 40 years old having 2 heart attacks and triple bypass open heart surgery, and the thought that I was in worse shape at 36 years old than he was at 40 years old. Not good indeed.

So there it was, my fork in the road; my choice to dramatically improve my life so that I can give my wife and daughter a husband and father they deserve, or to remain on the path I was on and die early. It didn't take me long to choose my new course. Being a born-again Believer, I prayed that God would help me and give me guidance on how to overcome the mess I'd gotten myself into, and that very day I came across the Great Body Company Wellness Center. So on April 12th, 2010, I walked in there, signed up, and watched my life dramatically turn around.

The first thing I noticed was not the facilities, though I'm absolutely thrilled with them, but the caring, friendly staff, that really DO care about the members and their overall wellness. Every single staff member I've had contact with has gone out of their way to not only answer my questions and give me guidance, but to actually care about me and where my health was heading. In short, they cared about Brian the person, not Brian the source of income. That meant A LOT to me, and helps me to stay motivated even today. The GBC Wellness Center has become my refuge in the middle of the day. I had to go to a conference out of town and got a week-long membership to one of the more upscale gyms in that town so I could continue my program while away, and I have to say I was very disappointed. It wasn't because they didn't have fancy facilities and gear, but because it wasn't home, and they didn't have the GBC Family there. In short, it wasn't home.

Okay, now to the nitty gritty. For my diet, I take a multivitamin every day, and I am following the Atkins' Diet (for details on great Low Carb plans go to www.livinlowcarbdiscussion.com). For my workouts I am using High Intensity Interval Training on Mondays and Wednesdays and on Tuesdays and Thursdays I do 20 minutes of cardio (usually on the Arc Trainers) and an abs workout. I am really looking forward to training in the new workout room with the suspension system! The bottom line is that I do whatever it takes to get in the gym Monday-Thursday (yes, I only workout 4 days a week). If I don't feel like working out, then I go anyway and take it easy. Instead of trying to get my hear rate up to 160, I might cruise in the 120's. Instead of sprinting my laps in between a set of weights, I might lightly jog the lap. If I feel like really getting after it, then I do that too. Under no circumstances do I just try to kill myself in the gym. Instead I listen to my body and if it says "go hard", then I do...if it says "whoa, take it easy today", then I do. What I don't do is not go to GBC. It's better to take it easy than to do nothing.

My results so far? Well, it's nothing short of life changing, and I'll let the numbers speak for themselves in a moment, but please know I couldn't have done any of it without the support of the GBC Family, and I'm looking forward to the rest of this new life and the second chance I've been given to live a vibrant, healthy, active life.

Start Date: April 12th, 2010 Date of this Article: November 24th, 2010 (7 months)

Starting Weight: 230 Pounds Current Weight: 180 Pounds (50 Pounds lost so far!)

Starting Waist Size: 40! Current Waist Size: 33 (7 inches gone off the belly!)

Starting Shirt Size: XL! Current Shirt Size: M

Starting Blood Pressure: 130/90 Current Blood Pressure: 106/60

Starting Triglycerides: 276 Current Triglycerides: 63!

BEFORE PICTURE (230 Pounds):

AFTER PICTURE (180 Pounds):